Royalston Open Space Committee
Minutes
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Meeting Date: May 12, 2005
Members Present: Aaron Ellison, Elizabeth Farnsworth, Beth Gospodarek,
Patty Carrier,
Kim MacPhee, Glenn Freden,
Dean Lisiewicz, Christine Beckert Long
Others Present: Pat Jackson, Elizabeth Leonard, Dean Leonard
Acting Chair: Aaron Ellison
Acting Clerk: Christine Beckert Long
The meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.
Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes of April 14, as corrected.
Internal Matters:
(1) Elizabeth reported that she has secured www.royalstonopenspace.org as
a domain name and source
for the committee e-mail address, info@royalstonopenspace.org
(2) The next committee meeting will be held on June 9 at 6:15 pm in
order to allow members to attend
the Planning Board public hearing at 7 p.m. on petition articles advocating
zoning changes.
(1) Aaron reported that the Land Court case involving a parcel on Taft Hill
unspecified date.
(2) Aaron has written to the Select Board about seeking OSC recommendation
when notification of Chapter 61
withdrawals are received. He will meet with the Board next week to discuss
that issue and, preliminarily, the
possibility of the town's taking "U" (unknown owner) lands for back
taxes (See 4, below).
status of the third is unknown.
(4) The committee reviewed the list of U parcels, comparing them with the
open space map and coding them as
to their open space value, with connectivity (creation of a link to existing
protected land) and placement within
core habitats as the chief criteria. The committee will review the list again
in order to make a formal recommendation
to the Select Board.
(5)
Again using the criteria of connectivity and core habitat status, the committee
began its overall analysis of undeveloped lands in town, identifying significant
parcels. The committee will continue this analysis in future meetings.
Town Issues:
(1) Aaron has written to the Board of Assessors, requesting a meeting to discuss
the tax status of lands with a
conservation restriction.
Public
Outreach:
(1) Beth noted that the committee's Biodiversity Days plans for a guided walk
on June 5 and a sketch contest
were reported in the town newsletter. Dave Small of the Athol Bird & nature
Club and naturalists Ernie LeBlanc,
Matthew Hickler, Elizabeth Farnsworth, and Noah Siegel of Royalston will join
the walk. The committee will issue
prizes for the winning sketches and perhaps post them on the web page. (Further
information on Biodiversity
Days is available at www.maccweb.org)
(2) Patty attended a Conservation Options & Estate Planning Workshop on
April 23 at Mount Wachusett Community College and will prepare a report for
the committee. She has a recommendation for a simple pamphlet and more
detailed brochure the committee may be able to use as handouts for landowners;
these will be reviewed at a future meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.